


Rockabye

by blackcoffeeandteardrops



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, The X-Files Revival, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, or something close to it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 18:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackcoffeeandteardrops/pseuds/blackcoffeeandteardrops
Summary: In which Mulder and Scully are adjusting to their new lives as parents of an infant, and in which William helps them out with that.





	Rockabye

The night they brought their daughter home, neither Mulder or Scully got much sleep. Between the midnight feeding and waking every few hours for one reason or another, both of her parents would manage to almost fall asleep before she inevitably needed them again. The next few weeks followed much of the same pattern with Mulder and Scully taking turns to get up with her. 

On occasion, they'd be half asleep and stumble into the hallway to find William standing by the door of his room bleary eyed, and the sight would startle them. He'd lived under their roof for the majority of Scully's pregnancy, but the fact he was still there and not a product of their wishful imaginations caught them by surprise.

“Was I like this?” he asked one night, leaning against the doorway of his room as Scully paced the hallway, cradling the little girl.

“A little,” Scully conceded, fighting the lump she felt growing in her throat. They'd talked about his time with them some, but tiptoed around more of the fine tuned details. Before she could contemplate the idea much further, the baby curled her tiny fist against Scully's chest and let out another cry. “I don't remember it being this loud. Olivia, honey, it's okay,” she said, pausing near where William stood, rocking the infant in her arms. It helped a little, but she was still clearly disgruntled in the way babies tended to be at times.

“Hey, Livvie, let mom get some sleep, why don't you?” William said, laughing softly as he reached out to cup the back of his sister's head. He gently ruffled what little hair she had and looked up at Scully through his lashes. “I could take her for a little while if you wanted.”

“It's fine,” Scully replied. It wasn't the first time he'd slipped up and referred to her as mom, but each time had been so subtle, rushed in with everything else in a way that made her wonder if he even realized he'd said it. Whether it was her gentle rocking her or relaxing under her brother's touch, Olivia had settled down, her eyelids growing heavier by the second, a sure sign that sleep was likely imminent. “See? Sometimes babies just want to be held. Sorry she woke you.”

“It's okay,” William replied, lowering his gaze to the ground, already reaching to shut his bedroom door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

The following night was uneventful as was the one after that. So much so that Mulder joked before they went to bed that she'd broken the spell of late nights. It was a statement he'd regret however as the monitor next to the bed crackled to life and the sound of their daughter's cries woke them both from sleep.

Scully burrowed her head into Mulder's chest, suppressing the groan the sounds elicited. As grateful as she was for Olivia--and, for that matter, William--it didn't make waking up in the middle of the night any easier. “This is your fault, you know.”

Mulder sighed, craning his neck as he read the time on the bedside alarm clock. “It's three a.m.,” he said, stifling a lawn as he stared up at the ceiling. He ran a hand down Scully's back, giving her side a gentle squeeze as he moved to sit up in bed. “I’ll go get her.”

Scully nodded, closing her eyes only to snap them open again, reaching across the bed to grab his arm. “Mulder, wait,” she said, mirroring his position as she pushed the blankets back. The crying sounding from the baby monitor had stopped, replaced now by a low murmuring she couldn't quite make out. “What is that?”

Together, they threw back the blanket and as a solid unit crossed the hallway, unprepared for the sight they’d encounter. The door to Olivia’s room was open just slightly, but it was enough for them to get a glimpse inside. Next to her crib was a rocking chair, and in it sat William, rocking his baby sister. His head was bent forward, and while his mouth was moving, they could barely make out the words. The baby, despite emitting soft cries, appeared comfortable in her brother’s embrace.

“Scully,” Mulder whispered, reaching out instinctively for her hand. He grasped it in his, watching the scene play out before them.

“I know,” Scully replied, giving his hand a squeeze. Whatever she’d been expecting upon hearing the noises from Olivia’s room, it hadn’t been what she was seeing. Granted, it wasn’t the first time William had held her, but for the majority of her pregnancy he’d seemed rather untouched by it. He’d ask questions on occasion, and thanks to Mulder’s guest lecturing at a class had actually been the one to drive Scully to the hospital when she went into labor, but had seemed hesitant in way to get attached to the new addition to the family.

“Come on, kid,” William said, gently rocking the chair as he adjusted the baby in his arms. If he knew his parents were watching, he gave no indication of it. “When you get to be older, you’ll love sleep. I promise.”

Scully looked on and smiled, stifling a laugh behind her hand. She leaned her head against Mulder’s shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment, sighing as Mulder pressed a kiss to the top of her head. It seemed strange, in a way, that they were able to bask in the comfort of this new reality, in light of everything they’d faced to get here. Still, she thought a bit selfishly, if anyone deserved happiness after terrible circumstances, it was them.

Beside her, Mulder shifted his feet, causing the floorboards to creak. 

William looked up, staring through the inky darkness at them. In the dim glow of the nightlight (a spaceship, despite Scully’s insisting it didn’t go with the theme of the room), he smiled sheepishly and shrugged, mindful of the baby resting in his arms. “Sorry, she was crying and I just...figured you guys needed to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It wasn’t you that woke us,” Mulder replied, shaking his head with a smile. 

Scully pushed the door open further, slowly stepping into the room. “You don’t have to apologize. How is she?”

“Fine, I guess,” William replied, focusing on the baby as he spoke. He watched as her mouth opened and closed, raising her hand in the air, as if grasping for something none of them could see. The connection to his sister had been a little hard to understand, at least at first. It wasn’t easy, figuring out his place in the family. They’d welcome him with open arms, he knew that much before officially meeting them for the first time, but for so long he’d remained uncertain of where he fit in, especially with a new child on the way. This child would, he knew they hoped, be spared the evils and horrors they’d endured. Staring at her face, watching as she stretched her tiny body and yawned, he couldn’t help but tighten his arms around her and hope for the exact same thing. “She’s finally getting sleepy. I guess that’s good.”

“It is good,” Scully replied, unable to say much else. She swayed where she stood, grateful for Mulder’s arm circling her waist. William hadn’t sent her a vision, not exactly, but she’d sensed his thoughts just the same. “You’re always welcome here. You know that, don’t you? Your sister...she loves you.”

“So do we,” Mulder added, subtly bumping her hip with his own. The connection they all shared was something none of them totally understood, but it warmed his heart all the same. 

“I know,” William replied, slowly nodding his head, feeling the breath hitch in his chest. The love he felt from them was nearly overwhelming at times. It hadn’t been easy in the beginning. The day he showed up on their doorstep, barely recovered from his time in the water, let alone the bullet hole freshly healed on his forehead, had been fraught with tension. The days and weeks that followed had been an adjustment period to say the least. There were times he’d walk into the room and one of them would stare like he was an apparition that would disappear at any second. When Scully started showing, they walked on eggshells around him, even though he’d told them not to. He’d known before they’d even told him, had figured out that the baby was a girl before they’d even seen the ultrasound. 

His visions of the future had become less frequent, and the virus that threatened to decimate the world’s population hadn’t reared its ugly head. The man who called himself a creator, but who William now realized thrived on trying to manipulate people and control them for his bidding, hadn’t surfaced either. Staring at Olivia and knowing without looking up at them that Mulder and Scully were watching them, he couldn’t help hoping things stayed that way. It was different, this life they’d stumbled into, but he figured they’d do anything to hold onto it as best they could. “I think she’s asleep. Should I put her back in the crib?”

“Here, let me help,” Scully replied, carefully stepping closer. She gingerly lifted the baby from his arms, holding still once she stood upright, fearful the transition had startled her. Satisfied, Scully turned to the crib, laying Olivia inside. She gripped the railing, watching her daughter’s eyes flutter behind her closed lids, and she hoped whatever dreams she was having were pleasant ones. 

“I guess that’s my cue to exit,” William said, rising from the rocking chair. He shuffled to the door, carding a hand through his dark locks, stopping as he heard Scully call his name.

“Hey, Will?” Scully said, not continuing until she saw him looking back at her. “Thank you for your help. I mean it.”

He flicked his gaze from her to Olivia who was already sleeping soundly, to Mulder, who tried but failed to hide a yawn behind his arm. They were all pretty tired, and he felt the same. “Anytime,” he replied. “Well, I’m gonna go to bed now. See you guys in the morning. Or, well, when it’s light out.”

No matter how much William loved his sister, Mulder could see plain as day the teenager was tired, but he appreciated that he had a sense of humor about it. “See you then, Will,” he said, watching as the younger man left the room, carefully pulling the door closed behind him. Mulder looked back to Scully and cocked his head in the direction of the door. “Think we can get a few hours in before her highness over there wakes up again?”

“Mulder…” Scully replied, smiling as she shook her head.

“Of sleep, Scully. I meant sleep,” he replied. “Are you coming to bed?”

Scully darted her gaze to the chair where William had been sitting just moments before. She thought of the rocky grounds they’d traversed to get to where they were, and while they might not be considered normal by any traditional standards, she knew they were about as close as they could hope to be. Looking back at the baby sleeping soundly, she thought of how content her little one had been in her brother’s arms, and she smiled. “Yes,” she said, finally fixing her eyes on Mulder. She’d go to bed and they’d seek a moment’s rest before the new day begun, but as she clutched the crib railing, she found herself wanting to hang on to this one for just a little while longer. “I’ll be right there.”


End file.
